Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Mar 2010.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
71 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.
Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.
Something off? Claim to add context
Who runs it and what they're paid
7 people listed on the 990; $88K paid to officers and key staff.
Houston Cowen’s $58K as Founder & Ce is at the 47th percentile of top reported officer pay among 1043 $100K–1M public & societal benefit nonprofits. Peer set: organizations in the same NTEE major field of work and revenue-size band, compared on each org’s own highest-paid officer/key-employee, from Form 990 Part VII / 990-PF Part VIII. Descriptive placement, not a verdict on whether the pay is appropriate.
Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 2 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2025 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas Blaney | — | — | — | $53,515 | $87,807 | $85,227 |
| Houston Cowen | $57,917 | $47,917 | $22,917 | $20,833 | — | — |
Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.
See Challenge America executive salaries →Questions the 990 asks
The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.
- Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2No
- Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aYes
Programs and updates
Connects service members, veterans, and families to resources for community and purpose.
Questions for Challenge America
Your first name shows with your question. Challenge America answers here, for everyone.
In 2021, challenge america took dramatic steps to advanced its national mission to improve the lives of veterans and their families. At the turn of the new year, challenge america concluded its year-long collaboration with the veterans health administration innovation ecosystem by showcasing the top innovations from its COVID-19 maker…
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2021 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY21 | End FY21 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $130K | $27K |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $810 | $810 |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $244K | $120K |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $57K | $81K |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $187K | $39K |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1 | $71K | $71K | ||
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $98K | $72K | $12K | $14K |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $135K | $113K | $7K | $14K |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $10K | $4K | $5K | $609 |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $64K | $51K | $6K | $8K |
| Legal feesLn 11b | $40 | $40 | ||
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $11K | $11K | ||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $11K | $8K | $1K | $2K |
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $8K | $6K | $200 | $2K |
| Office expensesLn 13 | $11K | $7K | $3K | $901 |
| Information technologyLn 14 | $21K | $15K | $4K | $3K |
| OccupancyLn 16 | $22K | $10K | $12K | |
| TravelLn 17 | $19K | $16K | $717 | $2K |
| InsuranceLn 23 | $4K | $363 | $3K | |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $47K | $6K | $41 | $41K |
| All other expensesLn 24e | $133 | $133 | ||
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $533K | $379K | $66K | $88K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 LatestFiled with the IRS May 20, 2026 | $703K | $555K | $148K | $302K | 990 PDF |
| FY2024Filed with the IRS May 13, 2025 | $623K | $529K | $94K | $155K | 990 PDF |
| FY2023Filed with the IRS Apr 26, 2024 | $139K | $263K | −$124K | $60K | 990 PDF |
| FY2022Filed with the IRS Apr 7, 2023 | $475K | $355K | $120K | $159K | 990 PDF |
| FY2021 ViewingFiled with the IRS Apr 27, 2022 | $386K | $533K | −$148K | $39K | 990 PDF |
| FY2020Filed with the IRS Apr 8, 2021 | $385K | $368K | $17K | $187K | 990 PDF |
Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2021 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $385,715 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 6 of 6 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $385,715 across 6 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $533,308 across 16 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $119,957 assets, 12 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $39,382 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2021 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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